Cumilla Correspondent

Police have continued their crackdown on juvenile gangs in Cumilla, detaining another 415 people in the latest drive conducted simultaneously across all 18 police stations in the district.

The operation was carried out from 7pm to midnight on Sunday (September 27) by the district police in coordination with the Detective Branch (DB). District Police Media Officer and Additional Superintendent of Police Lutfur Rahman confirmed the information around 2am.

Earlier, 878 people had been detained in similar drives conducted on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Of them, 597 were released into the custody of their families after signing bonds, while legal action is being taken against the remaining 281 over various allegations.

With the latest operation, police have detained a total of 1,293 people in three separate drives across Cumilla over the past five days.

Additional Superintendent of Police Lutfur Rahman said the latest operation targeted locations where juvenile gang activities were reported, gathering spots frequented by teenagers and areas considered prone to criminal activity. He claimed that such continuous operations were helping reduce crime.

Police said they are screening those detained in the latest drive to determine whether they are involved in criminal activities. Necessary legal action will be taken based on the findings. In the case of minors, authorities will decide whether to hand them over to their families after completing the screening process.

In Saturday’s operation, Kotwali Model Police Station detained 37 people from different parts of Cumilla city. Police said five of them were directly involved with juvenile gangs.

According to police, the five were active members of the city’s much-discussed “Ratan Group” or “R Squad”. Police identified Anisur Rahman alias Anik, 19, as the group’s “second-in-command”.

Earlier, 624 people were detained in a drive across all 18 police stations in the district on Wednesday night, while another 254 were detained in Saturday’s operation.

Police said such drives will continue as part of efforts to curb juvenile crime and prevent young people from becoming involved in criminal activities.